Man charged in officer's death appears in Circuit Court
Dec. 21—The legal process in the higher court has begun for a Tennessee man charged with the vehicular homicide of a London City Police officer in October.
Casey Preston Byrd of Oneida, Tennessee, appeared before Laurel Circuit Judge Greg Lay on Monday for a pretrial conference on charges of murder of a police officer, two counts of first-degree criminal mischief, first-degree possession of controlled substances and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants.
Court documents indicate that Byrd's attorney, Jeremy A. Bartley, requested a reduction in Byrd's $1 million bond. The Commonwealth's Attorney's office, however, objected to that motion by the defense, which was overruled by Lay. Byrd remains incarcerated in the Laurel County Correctional Center.
Byrd was driving a Dodge Ram pickup truck along Barbourville Street on Oct. 30 when he ran a "T" intersection with South Main Street and struck a police cruiser driven by London Police Officer Logan Medlock. Byrd's truck struck Medlock's vehicle in the driver's side, causing both vehicles to go off the roadway and into A.R. Dyche Cemetery, where two gravestones were damaged. Medlock reportedly died instantly from the crash.
Testimony in Byrd's preliminary hearing revealed that he was driving 51 mph in the 35 mph zone when he ran the red light at the intersection and slammed into Medlock's cruiser. He was also unsteady on his feet and smelled strongly of alcoholic beverages. Forensic testing showed Byrd's blood alcohol level at .293 — nearly 4 times the legal limit in Kentucky. He was also found in possession of a substance believed to be Methodone.
His next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 23.
